The Bet
by BeneathTheUmbrella
Summary: Ted finds out that Marshall and Lily have yet to settle their five-dollar bet from "No Pressure". Will Ted and Marshall's friendship survive this revelation?


_And here's my latest story I've been working on all through the holiday break. This story is in reference to Marshall and Lily's bet from "No Pressure". Suffice it to say, I found it pretty silly that Marshall only gave the $5 to Lily in the finale after Ted and Tracy's wedding, as if their relationship up to that point had meant nothing. (And don't get me started on the deleted scene where Lily gives the money back... *spits*) So this is my take on what would happen if Ted finds out that the bet had not yet been settled. I've been tinkering with it these past few days, so I hope it achieves what I hope it would. In any case: enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated!_

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><p><em>2017<em>

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><p>"I can't wait to see the guys again," said Ted, holding Penny in his arms, as he and Tracy walked up the steps to Marshall and Lily's front door. He was permanently home from Spokane, his new building officially complete, and one of his first orders of business—second to smothering Tracy and Penny with love and attention—was to see his friends again. It had been awhile since he'd hung out with the Eriksens; not since the holidays.<p>

"Eh, I saw them last week, so I've pretty much had my fill of them," she teased as she rang their doorbell.

The door swung open a few moments later to reveal Marshall, who gave them both a wide smile. "Hey!" he said happily as he ushered them in. "It's so great to see you, buddy!"

"Same here, man," Ted agreed as they hung up their coats.

Marshall led them across the entryway of their new home in Queens and into the living room, where Lily was sitting with the kids. "Ted!" she greeted him excitedly. "Welcome back! We've missed you so much! Although clearly not as much as Tracy has."

Tracy sat down and laughed good-naturedly. "Hey, my contributions to our conversations while he's been away included topics _other_ than how much I missed him, how much I wanted and needed him, how everything I'd look at reminded me of him... Right?"

Marshall looked at Ted as he placed Penny onto the living room floor with Daisy and then settled down on the couch next to Tracy. "Bro, this past month without you has been brutal on her, and we had to hear _all_ about it," he teased, pretending to be exasperated. "So you both must be ecstatic you're officially done with Spokane."

Ted chuckled. "_Almost_ officially: we have the party next month and—oof!" he breathed out, the wind practically knocked out of him as Marvin had jumped off the sofa chair he was sitting in and crashed into Ted's lap. "Hey, champ! So, yeah, there's the party next month, and then I'm finally free from that city. You guys are coming to that, right? Let me know, and I'll be sure to get tickets for the six of us. Flights are also pretty cheap this time of year."

"You know it!" Lily said, holding three-month-old Emily in her arms. "Would be nice to get a little break; with the baby and the move, these past few months have been pretty exhausting."

"I know," Tracy agreed, shooting Ted a smile. "These past 10 months with Ted in-and-out of town have been pretty draining. It probably sounds horrible, but I'm a bit glad to dump Penny with my parents for a few days and have a breather."

Ted put a hand on his fiancée's knee and gave it a squeeze. He couldn't wait to get some kid-free alone time with her, either. Tracy really had taken on the brunt of the parenting while he was away for work. He tried to relieve her whenever he made it back home, and while she occasionally took him up on it to hang out with friends or have some downtime to herself, Tracy had preferred for the three of them to just spent time together as a family before he jetted off to Spokane again.

He had missed her and Penny terribly. Phone calls and Skype sessions were never enough, so finally being back home with them was as much a relief to Ted as it was to Tracy. And now that Ted's building was complete, he could just go back to teaching and spending time with his family. _And_ he and Tracy were starting work on their own pending project, which Ted had only found out about earlier that week.

"So, um, listen guys," he began, looking over at Tracy with an excited smile. "Tracy and I have some pretty big news to share with you."

Tracy grinned back at him and then looked at Marshall and Lily. "We're having another baby!"

"Omigod!" Lily cried out excitedly, dropping Emily into Marshall's arms before jumping up to throw her arms around a seated Tracy. "This is _so_ exciting! Congratulations!"

Marshall and Ted stood up. "Congrats, man!" he said, giving Ted a high-five. "That's amazing news."

"Thanks," Ted said, unable to contain his smile. "It was unexpected, but we're ridiculously happy. And, who knows, maybe we'll get a boy this time!" Ted bounced Marvin in his arms happily.

"Yes!" Marshall agreed, unable to contain his own enthusiasm. "Luke Skywalker Mosby is finally going to happen!"

"Um, Luke if it's a boy, sure. I have to be under the influence of _quite_ a bit of drugs to agree on Skywalker for a middle name," Tracy added.

"Drugs were the reason I agreed to Waitforit with Marvin," Lily said with a heavy sigh. "Curse you, Barney!"

"But keep it to yourselves for now," Tracy told them as everyone settled back down into their seats. "We want to tell Barney and Robin when they get back home from Chile next week."

"We didn't want to tell them over the phone," Ted explained.

"So, dude, that's some mighty sperm you got there!" Marshall joked. "Impregnating her all the way from Spokane."

Ted's cheeks turned pink. "Well, that month I was home for the holidays was a good amount time for us to, er, reconnect," he said. Tracy winked at him.

"So what about the wedding?" asked Lily.

Tracy gave a light laugh and offered Ted an encouraging smile. "Postponed again," she said, her hands on her belly. "Ted's going to have to wait for his big fat French castle wedding until after this one pops out."

"It's worth the wait," he assured her, leaning in to give her a kiss.

Lily giggled and turned to Marshall. "Guess you can hang on to your $5 for a little bit longer, Marshmallow." The two of them then began to laugh softly.

Ted's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched his friends chortle between themselves. No. They couldn't possibly be referring to _that_ bet... right? That should've been over a long time ago.

"Marshall, Lily," Ted began, trying to keep his voice even, but unable to contain the hurt in its inflection. "Um, you guys aren't talking about that bet from awhile back, are you?" He hoped to God he was wrong.

The Eriksens seemed to realize their gaffe, their faces contorting in shame, glancing from Ted to Tracy, unable to say a word. Ted realized that, unfortunately, he was right.

Tracy was the first to speak up: "What, are you guys placing a bet on when Ted and I are going to get married?" she asked, letting out a nervous laugh.

"No," Ted told her, his glare still set on Marshall. "No: their bet is on whether I would eventually end up with Robin. Lily says no. Marshall," Ted spat out, "he apparently still thinks yes."

Tracy's eyes widened in realization, then looked over at Marshall and Lily. Ted briefly glanced over at her to catch the upset look in her eyes, and reached over and took one of her hands in his. "Oh," was all she said.

"Ted," Marshall began helplessly. "It's just a bet. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"No, this bet is pretty telling, Marshall," Ted said angrily. "I can't _believe_ you two! After everything we've been through..."

"Sweetie, we're _so_ sorry!" Lily was saying now.

"Why haven't you given Lily the five bucks, Marshall?" Ted asked.

No answer.

Ted sighed, and looked around at the kids, who were staring up at the fighting adults. "Bro, I need to talk to you in private. Now." He lifted Marvin off his lap and plopped him down onto the floor with the other kids, and then stood up and walked in the direction of the kitchen, Marshall walking silently behind him.

"What the hell was that all about, man?" Ted asked once they were alone in the kitchen.

Marshall held up his hands. "I'm so sorry, Ted. But relax: it's just a silly bet."

"No! No, it's not _just_ a silly bet. Especially when you're essentially telling my fiancée that she's replaceable, that I'm apparently waiting for someone better when... when what, man?" he asked, baffled. "When I dump her? She dies from some mysterious illness, and Robin simultaneously divorces Barney? What?"

His best friend winced. "It wasn't meant like _that_, dude, I swear."

"Then what _does_ it mean, Marshall?" he cried. "Why haven't you honored this stupid bet? Robin and I were over a long time ago; we're _never_ getting back together! You should've fucking given Lily her money the moment I met Tracy!"

"The _moment_ you met Tracy?" Marshall said, amused now. "Ted, might I remind you that the day before you met Tracy, you were still hung up on Robin!"

Ted's eyes narrowed, and he felt the anger low in his stomach, ready to rise up. He wanted to punch Marshall right then and there, but he knew he wasn't a stupid Neanderthal in his twenties. He was an adult, with a daughter he hoped would look up to him. So he just clenched his fist and uttered, "How _dare_ you say that, Marshall? How _dare_ you?! Are you seriously questioning my commitment to Tracy because of my brief moment of what I can only call lunacy and desperation from _four years ago_?"

"I'm just saying, Ted," Marshall said coolly. "Robin and Barney had marital issues recently..."

"Yeah, which they managed to work through, and they're now happier than they've ever been. You've seen it, too," he told him. "Besides, what does that have to do with Tracy and I?"

"You honestly mean to tell me that when Robin and Barney started having problems, there wasn't some tiny part of you that got hopeful that her window could've finally opened up again?" he questioned.

Ted scoffed. Her window... Ted knew that Robin's window had closed the moment she said "yes" to Barney's proposal. Hell, it was likely closed way earlier than that; it just took Ted a real long time to accept it. He knew that his jealousy, and then obsession over getting the locket to her in time for the wedding, was simply him unable to let go of the past. He had erroneously assumed that Robin had been his only shot at real happiness. It was hard, after all, to watch everyone around him find true love while he was still wishing and waiting.

But life has a funny way of giving you everything you've ever wanted, the moment you accept things as they are and ought to be. Because the moment he left the wedding, he ran into Tracy on that train platform. And he had never looked back.

"Absolutely not!" Ted spat out, disgusted, insulted. "You are fucking crazy, Marshall! _My_ window was permanently shut the moment I met Tracy, so you need to get over this stupid notion of me and Robin out of your mind!"

"But your window is still partly open Ted. For God's sake, you haven't even married Tracy yet!"

Ted paused. "What did you say?"

Crossing his arms across his chest, he continued: "I'm just saying, I find it pretty weird that you haven't married the love of your life yet."

That felt like a punch to the gut. Was he happy that he and Tracy hadn't walked down the aisle yet? Of course not. But, as Ted had learned over the years, life tends to go a different way than you'd expect; you could either complain, or simply roll with it. With Tracy falling pregnant with Penny, the move to Westchester, Tracy working on her Master's degree in the evenings, his year in Spokane, and now, another baby on the way, the time to plan a wedding had never materialized for them. And they were both okay with it for the time being; they were happy, healthy and in love, and that was what mattered most to them.

Ted thought, of all people, his best bro would understand.

"That is low, Marshall," Ted said, his voice a whisper. "You're my best friend: you _know_ how much I love Tracy! She's—she's my everything; she's all I've ever wanted. And the fact that you think I wouldn't be loyal to her because we haven't exchanged wedding vows yet... It's pretty insulting, man. I mean, you and Lily have been married for years, and that doesn't mean that you're the most solid couple in the world just because you're wearing wedding rings."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "C'mon, bro. We're Marshmallow and Lilypad," he said simply, as if that fact alone meant that they were impenetrable.

"Really?" asked Ted. "How about the time she left you and went to San Francisco? Or the time she kept her shopping debt from you? Or when you accepted that judgeship without consulting her? You guys can be stupid and are probably as bad at communicating as Barney and Robin are! But I _never_ comment on or judge your relationship because I know—I fucking _know_—how much you two love each other." His voice cracked. "And it bums me out that you don't believe that about me and Tracy, man."

Marshall's eyes softened. "Ted..."

"No. No, it's fine. I get it now," he said with a nod of his head. Ted reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He rifled through it until he found a crisp, five-dollar note. "Let me help you out with this bet, since this $5 is _so_ important to you." He held it up, then crumpled it in his fist, throwing it at Marshall, hitting his chest lightly before falling to the floor. "I hope the end of our friendship was worth it."

Ted stormed past Marshall, through the kitchen door and back into the living room. "C'mon, baby, we're going home," he told Tracy as Marshall appeared behind him. She and Lily were both sitting there, slightly stunned. They likely had caught some of his argument with Marshall.

She looked up at him. "Honey..." she began soothingly. He knew what she was thinking: sit, stay, let's talk about this like rational adults. But he wasn't in the mood.

"Please?" he asked desperately, looking into her eyes. Ted needed her on his side on this.

Tracy nodded her head and stood up from the couch, looking over at Lily apologetically and then reaching down to pick up Penny. The little girl looked over her mom's shoulder and gave the Eriksen clan a tiny wave goodbye.

"Marshall!" Ted heard Lily plead at her husband as the three of them made their way to the entryway. "Say _something_!" But they quickly slipped on their coats and boots and walked out the door before Marshall could say a word.

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><p>"You ok, honey?" Tracy asked cautiously, looking over at Ted in the driver's seat. They had been driving in silence for about 20 minutes. "You sure you don't want me to drive? You shouldn't be behind the wheel when you're this upset."<p>

He quickly glanced over at her, giving her a reassuring smile, and focused his gaze back on the road in front of him. "I'm ok to drive, I promise," he said. "It's just—ugh—I just can't believe him!"

Marshall's words had been quite the blow. Ted hadn't had feelings for Robin in what felt like ages, so for Marshall to still apparently believe that he and Robin would someone end up together even though they were both in happy and stable relationships came as a shock. His best friend's lack of faith in him, in his love for Tracy, was hurtful and disrespectful. Not only towards him, but Tracy, as well.

"I know, babe," she said, letting out a sigh. "But maybe you should've heard him out; you can't throw away 20 years of friendship without at least talking about it."

"Trace, I tried to get an answer out of him. But the fact that they still hadn't settled that bet... It just hurts."

"Oh, pooh bear," she said sadly, her left hand reaching to cup the back of his neck, her fingers running through the short hairs in a soothing, rhythmic matter. He wanted to just shut his eyes and succumb to the comforting gesture, but his eyes stayed focused on the road. "You know it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about our situation, right? So we're not married; _we_ know what we mean to each other."

Ted smiled at her words, removing his right hand from the wheel to place it on her knee. He caressed it affectionately. "Of course," he said softly. "We don't need their approval or their validation. It's just... Marshall's my best friend, you know? And it kills me that he apparently doesn't believe that you're it for me."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Tracy nod and look out the front window. He shook his head. The worst part about this all wasn't about his own feelings, however irate he was at present. It was Tracy's hurt feelings that worried him the most; the revelation of Lily and Marshall's bet put his fiancée in an awkward position, and he wasn't sure what was going on in her head.

"Are _you_ ok?" he asked her, now giving her knee a squeeze.

She looked away from the window and turned to look at him again. She gave him a brave smile, but he could see the hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'm alright, I guess," she said. "Just processing it."

"I'm so sorry you had to hear all that, sweetie," he murmured. "It was inappropriate of them to still have that bet, and to hurt you in the process. I couldn't stand for it."

"Thank you, pooh bear," she said, her fingers now kneading the back of his neck. "But I'll be fine."

Ted cleared his throat. He knew what he was about to say was silly, but he felt he had to mention it, to ease any worries Tracy might have. "Tracy, um, you know that Robin and I... we're just friends, right? Despite what Marshall may think, there isn't any—"

She just laughed. "Honey, what kind of thing is that to say?" she said softly. "I know. Believe me: I _know_. I told you from the beginning that Robin wasn't going to be an issue, and in the four years we've been together, you've never given me any reason to worry. Marshall's words haven't shaken my faith in you, or in us."

Ted smiled. He knew he'd never given her any reason to doubt him, and he knew he'd go through their entire lives making sure Tracy knew just how much he loved her. No matter what certain naysayers may say or think, Ted would forever let her know that she was the only woman for him. And he was humbled to know that he was the only guy for her.

"I love you," he said. He hoped those words were enough after everything that had been said earlier.

"Me too, babe," she murmured. "I still say you should talk it out with them, though. Maybe it all isn't so black and white. Maybe once you cool down a bit..." She gave him a hopeful look. He knew Tracy didn't want to lose their friendship with Marshall and Lily, despite how bad their actions had hurt her. Despite it all, she loved them.

Ted chuckled. "Maybe," he said wistfully, but simply wanted to put that afternoon's events behind him. "For now, I just want to go home, put Penny down for a nap, maybe order a pizza for dinner, and then cuddle-up with you on the couch. That's all I need."

She smiled at him. "That, I can do for you."

The drive continued comfortably, Ted grateful for the fact that Tracy was good at distracting him, making him laugh and smile and helping him to forget about his fight with Marshall. She had a knack for turning any crappy mood of his around.

45 minutes later, he was feeling pretty good as they rolled up to their house, only to find Marshall's minivan parked in their driveway, the entire Eriksen clan bundled up and standing by their front door.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Ted groaned as he drove up and parked behind their car. He really wasn't in the mood to listen to any more of Judgy McJudgersen's (_Heh. Good one, Ted_, he thought) opinions on his relationship with Tracy.

They slowly climbed out of the car and Ted moved to get Penny out of her car seat in the back, lifting the half-asleep child into his arms.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ted asked as they walked up to them.

"We left about five minutes after you guys did," Marshall explained. "Wow, you really _are_ a slow driver, man."

Despite the tense situation, Ted could still hear Tracy snickering beside him. "What do you want, Marshall?"

"Can we go inside and talk?"

"Out here is good," he said, coolly.

"Um, babe?" Tracy chimed in, already pulling out the house keys from her purse. "It's cold out here, and we've got four kids under 5. It's best we go inside."

"Fine," he said, and she unlocked the door and let everyone in. None of them spoke a word, appreciating the few extra minutes they had while they removed all the children's coats and snow pants.

They all made their way into the living room, plopping the oldest kids down onto the floor with some toys. Marshall and Lily settled onto the love seat, holding a fussy Emily in her arms. Ted sat in the sofa chair, facing them, Tracy sitting gingerly on the arm of the chair, a supportive hand on Ted's shoulder.

They sat there in silence, the awkward kind, Tracy and Lily looking at one another helplessly, Marshall and Ted avoiding one another's gaze.

"Um, I'm going to make a pot of coffee for everyone," Tracy announced, likely looking for a way to get out of the tense-filled living room. She started to stand up when Marshall finally spoke up.

"No, Tracy, sit back down," he said. "I need to say something, and you need to hear it most of all."

She did as told, now settling onto Ted's lap. Ted wrapped his arms around her waist reassuringly, nervous yet curious as to what Marshall had to say.

Marshall cleared his throat and looked over at where Ted and Tracy were sitting together. His best friend looked into his eyes, and Ted could see the apologetic look in them. Marshall gave him a nod and a sheepish smile, and then looked over at Tracy.

"Tracy, first of all, I'm real sorry you had to hear all that back at the house. There really is no excuse I can give you that could make it all better, so all I can say is that I'm truly sorry. This bet is _way_ past its expiration date."

Marshall reached for his pocket, and pulled out a $5 bill. He then handed it over to his wife, who accepted it it with a smile. "Which is why Lily has won this bet; she won it a long time ago. And as we all know, my wife is always right. She knew you were different. She knew it the moment Ted told us he had met a girl.

"And I knew it, too," he continued. "How could I not, when he'd call me practically every day while we were in Italy, _just_ to tell me, _I'm in love with this girl _or _I'm going to marry her someday_."

Ted blushed, and looked over at Tracy bashfully. "_Dude_, that was supposed to be between us..."

"Sorry, bro. It had to be said," he told him, then turned back to Tracy. "I was able to hear it in his voice; and let me tell you, it was the first time I ever sensed the seriousness in his words. And I see it, every time you're together. I see it in the home you've made, the family you've built... So it was a pretty dick move of me to insinuate otherwise. We love you, Tracy. You're family to us. The kids can't live without their Aunt Tracy and, frankly, neither could we. And I apologize if I made you think, even for a second, that you don't belong, that you're nothing but Ted's consolation prize. Because that couldn't be further from the truth."

Ted looked at his friend in awe. He knew it took a lot for Marshall to admit he was wrong, so he couldn't be more grateful to him than he was right then. He gazed up at Tracy, who was sniffling and trying to control her emotions. "It's ok, Marshall," she said, then let out a small sob. "Sorry. Must be the pregnancy hormones."

Marshall laughed softly and then stood up. Tracy did too, and they met in the middle of the living room where they shared a long hug. "Thank you, Marshall," Ted could hear Tracy say, muffled as her face was pressed into Marshall's chest.

For his part, he rested his chin on the top of her head and continued to hold her. "You're welcome," he murmured. "And, y'know, you believe in ghosts, so that gives you another leg up over Robin, too."

Tracy laughed and shook her head, letting go of Marshall and moving to embrace Lily, whereas Marshall stood where he was, looking over at Ted. "I'm sorry, buddy," he said. "And Robin and Barney deserve an apology, too. I'm going to let them know about the whole thing when they get home. But for now, Ted, I'm sorry. I was being a jerk, and—"

Ted just shook his head and got up from his seat, throwing his arms around Marshall. "It's ok, man. It's ok," he whispered, squeezing him tight. "Thank you for everything you said. It means a lot."

"I meant every word," he said, reciprocating the hug. "I know she's everything you'd been searching for, man. And there isn't any doubt in my mind, not a single one. There never was."

Ted pulled away and smiled at his best friend, trying to keep his own emotions in check. Marshall and Lily had originally welcomed Tracy into the gang with open arms—hell, they adored her before Ted had even met her—so to get that validation again of how important she was to them warmed his heart.

Given he was going to be with Tracy forever, she was forever going to be part of their lives, too.

"So, um, I'll go make some coffee for everyone," Tracy interrupted, and the four of them then laughing at the blubbering messes they'd been reduced to. "Do you guys want to stay for supper?"

"Sure!" said Lily. "I could eat. Besides, you guys have that great Chinese place nearby!" Ted never thought he'd see the day Lily would ever admit to any Chinese food establishment being better than any eatery in New York City.

"Baby, can you please call up Yee's?" Tracy asked. "And don't forget the extra sweet and sour sauce!"

"Will do," he said, reaching for his phone.

As he watched Tracy and Lily disappear into the kitchen, arm-in-arm, and Marshall reminded him to order some crab rangoon before sitting down on the floor with Marvin, Daisy and Penny, Ted was reminded of how lucky he was. He had the most beautiful and loving fiancée in the world and a perfect daughter; the bestest best friend who was practically like a brother, and he and Lily (along with Barney and Robin) were the greatest uncle and aunt to Penny he could ever ask for. Not many people had the opportunity to choose their family, but Ted did. Sure, they had their fair share of drama and fighting, as today was any indication, but he knew these were the people who were worth fighting for.

Because he knew these were the people who, despite all the ups and downs, would still be there for him through it all.

And that was something Ted would bet a whole lot of money on.


End file.
